Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt.

At the weekend I am relaxed.

Breakdown of Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt.

• sein: to be
• ich: I
• das Wochenende: the weekend
• am: at
• entspannt: in a relaxed way

Questions & Answers about Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt.

What exactly does am mean in am Wochenende?

Am is a contraction of an dem.
So am Wochenende literally means “at/on the weekend” (using an + dem in the dative case). German almost always contracts an dem → am in everyday speech and writing.

Why do we use an (am) and not in (im Wochenende) here?

In time expressions, German uses different prepositions than English:

• an (→ am) is used for:

  • days of the week: am Montag (on Monday)
  • parts of days: am Morgen (in the morning)
  • am Wochenende (on/at the weekend)

• in (→ im) is used for:

  • months: im Januar (in January)
  • seasons: im Sommer (in summer)
  • years: im Jahr 2020 (in 2020)

So im Wochenende is wrong; German treats the weekend more like a day than like a long period.

Why is Wochenende in the dative case in am Wochenende?

Because the preposition an in time expressions takes the dative case.

• Basic form: das Wochenende (nominative, neuter)
• Dative singular: dem Wochenende

an + dem Wochenende → am Wochenende

So an is the reason for the dative, just as in am Montag, am Abend, etc.

Could I say An dem Wochenende bin ich entspannt instead of Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt?

Yes, grammatically this is correct, but the nuance changes:

• Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt.
  – neutral, the normal way to say “on the weekend”. It can mean “this coming weekend” or “weekends in general,” depending on context.

• An dem Wochenende bin ich entspannt.
  – sounds more specific: that particular weekend, often one already mentioned or contrasted with another:
  An dem Wochenende, von dem du erzählt hast, bin ich entspannt.
  (“On that weekend you told me about, I’m relaxed.”)

In everyday conversation, am Wochenende is far more common.

Can am Wochenende also mean “on weekends (in general)” or only “this weekend”?

It can mean both; context decides.

• General habit:
  Am Wochenende bin ich meistens entspannt.
  = On weekends I am usually relaxed.

• A specific, often upcoming weekend:
  Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt, weil ich keine Termine habe.
  = This weekend I’m relaxed because I have no appointments.

To make the “general” meaning very clear, you can also say:

• An den Wochenenden bin ich entspannt.
• Wochenends bin ich entspannt. (colloquial)

Why is the verb bin in the second position even though the sentence starts with Am Wochenende?

German main clauses follow the “verb-second” (V2) rule:
the finite verb (here bin) must be the second element in the sentence.

Sentence structure:

1. Am Wochenende – first element (a time phrase in the “prefield”)
2. bin – finite verb (2nd position)
3. ich entspannt – the rest of the clause

So although bin is the first word after Am Wochenende, it is grammatically in second position, which is exactly what German requires in a main clause.

Could I also say Ich bin am Wochenende entspannt? Is there a difference?

Yes, that sentence is equally correct:

• Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt.
  – Emphasis tends to be on “on the weekend” (contrast with other times).

• Ich bin am Wochenende entspannt.
  – More neutral; the default word order (subject first).

Both are fine. German allows you to move elements like time phrases to the front to change the focus without changing the basic meaning.

What kind of word is entspannt here? Is it a verb or an adjective?

In Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt, entspannt functions as an adjective describing a state:

• ich bin entspannt = I am relaxed (a condition, not an action)

Formally, entspannt is the past participle of the verb entspannen (“to relax”), but in this sentence it behaves as an adjective, just like müde (tired) or glücklich (happy).

Why doesn’t entspannt have an ending (like entspannter or entspannte)?

Because here it’s a predicative adjective used after a linking verb (sein – “to be”).

In German:

• Attributive adjective (before a noun) needs an ending:
  ein entspannter Mensch (a relaxed person)
• Predicative adjective (after sein/werden/bleiben) has no ending:
  Ich bin entspannt.
  Der Lehrer bleibt ruhig.

So entspannt stays in its basic form after bin.

What is the difference between Ich bin entspannt and Ich entspanne mich?

• Ich bin entspannt.
  – describes a state: I am relaxed (already in a relaxed condition).

• Ich entspanne mich.
  – describes an action/process: I am relaxing / I am in the process of relaxing.
  – In German, entspannen is usually reflexive in this meaning: sich entspannen.

So your sentence Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt talks about how you feel (state) on the weekend, not what you are doing.

How would I say “On the weekend I relax” (focusing on the activity, not just the state)?

You would use the verb sich entspannen:

• Am Wochenende entspanne ich mich.
  = On the weekend I (take time to) relax.

Compare:

• Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt. – I’m (in a) relaxed (state).
• Am Wochenende entspanne ich mich. – I actively relax / I do relaxation activities on the weekend.

Why is Wochenende capitalized, and what gender/case/number does it have here?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, so Wochenende must start with a capital W.

Its forms:

• Dictionary form: das Wochenende – neuter, singular, nominative.
• In your sentence: am Wochenende = an dem Wochenende
  → dative, singular, neuter, because of the preposition an with a time expression.

Can I say Wochenende bin ich entspannt and just drop am?

No, that would be ungrammatical.

You must have a preposition (or some marker) to connect the time word properly. Correct options are, for example:

• Am Wochenende bin ich entspannt.
• An diesem Wochenende bin ich entspannt.
• Jedes Wochenende bin ich entspannt.

But *Wochenende bin ich entspannt is not correct German.